This was my third time participating in Downtown Halifax's Big Day Downtown event, and each time I've done it, there's been a new twist. At this year's launch event at Noble, participating bloggers drew three "experience" cards and were asked to plan a day based on those experiences. We were then given $150 prepaid Visa cards to complete our tasks. The cards I chose were cheerful, authentic, and refreshing.


I can't think of anything more refreshing than a spa visit, and I was badly in need of some TLC, so my first order of business was to book a massage at Spirit Spa. I scheduled my appointment for the end of my last work day before vacation, and what a way to transition into holiday mode! By the end of my hour-long massage I was feeling totally relaxed and refreshed. It was my first visit to Spirit Spa and I will absolutely be back.

When it comes to things that make me cheerful, an afternoon of shopping downtown is high on my list. Even if I'm not buying anything, there's something nice about taking some time to browse through racks of pretty things. I visited J&R Grimsmo for the first time and oohed and aahed over the perfect grey sweater dress before continuing to Biscuit, probably my favourite shop downtown, and discovering that all their summer clothing was on sale - 30-60% off. That only upped my cheer quotient. I ended up choosing two new tops for fall, mostly because I couldn't decide between the 500 dresses I picked out. One of the designers, Against Nudity, is from Montreal so it's nice to be able to support Canadian talent as well.


Downtown Halifax is busting with authentic experiences so I debated my next location pretty carefully. My sweet tooth took over, and I headed for the waterfront, winding up at Sugah! While they may be best known for their hand-paddled ice cream, Sugah! has a fabulous selection of locally-made chocolate bars, which are my weakness. Chocolate with sea salt, chocolate with chili peppers, chocolate with wasabi - eating chocolate with things added to it is probably my number one hobby. I was tempted to try a chocolate bar with seaweed...



...but ended up choosing this guy instead, which I devoured on a bench outside the shop people-watching in the evening.



As far as truly authentic downtown Halifax experiences go, taking in the sights and sounds of the waterfront is right up there, and it was the perfect way to relax and unwind. Sitting on a bench watching boats in the harbour and feeling the warm breeze was an ideal combination of refreshing, cheerful, and authentic! And best of all - FREE!



Thanks, Downtown Halifax for inviting me to take part in this year's Big Day Downtown!

It's Tuesday, but it's Friday for me. I booked this Wednesday-Friday off, and then Monday is Labour Day, so I have six glorious days off. Vacation starts promptly at 4:30 this afternoon...maaaaaybe 4:15...with a massage appointment and some shopping. We're heading to Boston later this week for a few days and I'm super excited to take Eli to Fenway Park, for a swan boat ride, and shopping on Newbury Street, because that's EXACTLY what toddlers love, being dragged into a bunch of boutiques so mama can get her shop on.

Am I making goals for my vacation? Yes. Am I a crazy lady? Yes, I am.

1. I will not check work email more than twice a day when we're in Canada and zero times in the US. Suck it, roaming charges.
2. I will not freak out when Eli refuses to eat his meals. I won't cry or slam utensils around. Mantra: He is not going to starve to death. 
3. I will work out - but not at the expense of fun time with my family. If Eli's napping at the hotel and Pete's reading or something, yeah, I'll spend 45 minutes in the gym or running around the neighbourhood, but I will not hold up an outing so I can finish a workout.
4. I will relax about bedtimes and naptimes and getting-up times.
5. I will not exceed my cross-border shopping limit.
6. I will say yes. Yes, you can have an ice cream. Yes, we can look at the penguin exhibit longer. Yes, we will buy the $50 photo of Eli hugging the Green Monster.
7. I will not have a crying baby on the plane. Fingers crossed.

I came across this quote the other day and it definitely resonated.


Problem: I don't abide by this. At all. My house is full of things that are neither beautiful nor useful to me.

A drawer full of bras that no longer fit, but I've barely worn them, and it feels wasteful to get rid of them.

Kitchen appliances we don't use. How many George Foreman grills does one household need?

Chocolates left over from not just Easter, but Christmas. CHRISTMAS!

Two ironing boards. WE DON'T EVER IRON.

At least six or seven spare pillows. I don't even.

I'm generally pretty good at keeping my clothes inventory reasonable-ish. I know how often I wear things and I have no problem getting rid of old clothes (usually because I rationalize it by buying something new) but when it comes to *things* - towels, bedding, kitchen stuff, actual useful things - I have a hard time getting rid of excess. It might come in handy someday! We barely used that!

While our house looks tidy on the outside, I would have a heart attack if someone opened a closet door. It's just a lot of stuff, yo.

So rather than embark on a big, top-to-bottom cleaning, purging, organizing frenzy, I am going to commit to getting rid of five items a day. Just five. It can be five pairs of socks with holes in them. It can be five couches (it WON'T be five couches, because we only have three, but you get the drift.) Five items a day that can be tossed, sold, or donated. That's doable, right? It's not a huge time commitment - it's only going to take 10 minutes, hopefully less. And honestly, there'll be days when I get  on a roll and end up chucking way more than five things.

My hope is that within a month or so, I'll start to notice a difference. Less "stuff". Feeling lighter. More space.

Do you have too much stuff, or just the essentials? If you've ever done a big decluttering operation of your own, how did it go? What helped you?